Albanian Language Media:

• Kosovo leaders condemn assassination attempt against Trump (media)
• State Department: Russia seeking to use interethnic tensions in Kosovo (RFE)
• Osmani meets NSC Director for Europe Mike Carpenter (media)
• Kurti talks “credit guarantee windows” for people living abroad (media)
• Lajcak: Encouraging to see WB high on list of EU-UK cooperation (media)
• Svecla condemns attack with Molotov cocktail on pastry shop in north (media)
• UNMIK expresses regret over adopted law on IMC (Albanian Post)

Serbian Language Media:

• Vucic: I hope madness of hatred will stop, I wish Trump speedy recovery (Tanjug)
• Vucic meets with El Sisi in Cairo (N1, FoNet)
• Vucic: Egypt's recognition of independence without any substance (Kosovo Online, RTS)
• Vucic: Sachs's statement about NATO bombing of Serbia very valuable (Tanjug, media)
• Molotov cocktail thrown at pastry cafe Sar in Mitrovica North, Arsenijevic condemns it (KoSSev, social media)
• Svecla condemns attack on Sar pastry café (KoSSev)
• Krajiste: During liturgy, loud music from nearby house, Serbs found church walls defaced (Kosovo Online)

Albanian Language Media

Kosovo leaders condemn assassination attempt against Trump (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said in a post on X that he joins “other world leaders in condemning the horrific assassination attempt against former U.S. President Donald Trump. I wish him and others who were injured a full and speedy recovery, and send my sincere condolences to the family of the spectator who was killed. Political disagreement in a democracy must always be expressed through peaceful forms of speech and protest, and resolved by free and fair elections. No exceptions”.

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani said “we stand in full solidarity with former President Donald Trump, his family, and all Americans affected by the shooting at the Pennsylvania rally. Any kind of political violence anywhere is absolutely unacceptable and we strongly condemn it”.

State Department: Russia seeking to use interethnic tensions in Kosovo (RFE)

The U.S. State Department believes that Russia is seeking to use interethnic tensions in the region of the Western Balkans with the aim of creating instability and obstructing the integration of the region in Euro-Atlantic institutions. “It is clear that Russia does not support the Europe future of the Western Balkans that they have chosen and which the people in the region deserve,” a spokesperson for the State Department told Radio Free Europe.

The State Department said that precisely because of this Washington is working with countries of the Western Balkans to strengthen regional cooperation and to advance reforms “which will lessen the possibility of Russian malign influence and would bring peace, stability and prosperity for the region”.

The State Department spokesperson also said that the U.S. remains concerned that local tensions could escalate into serious political tensions in the region. “We remain concerned about the risk of local tensions turning into serious political tensions which can stagnate countries of the region, for example in the north of Kosovo and the secession threats in Bosnia and Herzegovina. We are working with all parties to minimize these threats,” the spokesperson said.

Osmani meets NSC Director for Europe Mike Carpenter (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani said in a post on X that at the end of the NATO Summit she met with the National Security Council Director for Europe, Ambassador Mike Carpenter. “A key figure behind NATO75’s success and an unwavering supporter and believer in the values that unite Kosovo and the U.S. His efforts fortify our shared commitment to peace and security,” Osmani said.

Kurti talks “credit guarantee windows” for people living abroad (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said on Sunday that Kosovo’s welcome package this year for people from Kosovo living abroad “will also include a credit guarantee window, which we will launch this coming week, to guarantee investment loans of our diaspora who want to return and invest in their homeland”. He also said that Kosovo’s institutions were doing this “because we believe that Kosovo’s growth potential and our diaspora's investment power should go hand in hand”.

Lajcak: Encouraging to see WB high on list of EU-UK cooperation (media)

EU Special Representative Miroslav Lajcak said in a Facebook post on Sunday that during his visit to London he had insightful conversations with his UK interlocutors, local ambassadors, the think tank community, and government officials about developments in the Western Balkans and beyond. “It’s encouraging to see the Western Balkans high on the list of European Union – UK cooperation areas of the new government. I am looking forward to working together,” he added.

Svecla condemns attack with Molotov cocktail on pastry shop in north (media)

All news websites reported over the weekend that a Molotov cocktail was thrown at a pastry shop in Mitrovica North and that Interior Minister Xhelal Svecla with his associates had stayed in the shop during a recent visit in the north of Kosovo. Svecla took to Facebook to condemn the attack and called on respective authorities to identify the perpetrators as soon as possible and bring them to justice. “Such attacks will not back us down and I am confident that they will not intimidate or stop our citizens. Law and order will triumph over terror,” he added.

UNMIK expresses regret over adopted law on IMC (Albanian Post)

The news website reported on Friday that SRSG and UNMIK chief Caroline Ziadeh expressed regret that the adopted law on the Independent Media Commission does not fully incorporate or address the concerns & recommendations raised by int'l partners, members of the media & civil society. “It is crucial to safeguard media freedom and the Commission’s independence,” Ziadeh said.

Serbian Language Media 

Vucic: I hope madness of hatred will stop, I wish Trump speedy recovery (Tanjug)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic voiced concern over the attempt to assassinate former US President Donald Trump and said he hoped "this madness of hatred that is spreading all around the world" would stop, and wished Trump a speedy recovery, Tanjug news agency reported.

"I would like to express once again my concern over the horrible events that happened in the US last night - the attempt to assassinate former president and, even more importantly, presidential candidate Donald Trump. I wish him good health and a speedy recovery", Vucic told reporters in Cairo after a meeting with the head of the Coptic Orthodox Church, Patriarch Tawadros II.

"And that there will be less aggression, especially from those who always accuse others of being aggressive while, most often, they themselves are the side attacks come from. I believe in the strength of the American people to overcome all this and I express my confidence that we in Serbia, too, will succeed in preserving reason and understand how important peace is, how important stability is, and push the country forward", Vucic noted.

Vucic was on an official visit to Egypt, during which he attended the signing of a Serbia-Egypt FTA on Saturday alongside Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi. Vucic held a tete-a-tete meeting with El Sisi, and also met with Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit.

Other Serbian officials, including Prime Minister Milos Vucevic, Interior Minister Ivica Dacic and Foreign Minister Marko Djuric also condemned the attack on Trump. 

Vucic meets with El Sisi in Cairo (N1, FoNet)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, spoke with the President of Egypt, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, about the most important issues pertaining to Serbia-Egypt relations, opportunities for expanding cooperation and specific projects, as well as the challenges in international relations and the role of the two countries in the new regional and global reality, N1 reported.

“Both Serbia and Egypt, each in their own part of the world, represent pillars of peace, progress and cooperation and guarantors of stability, which makes our responsibility for their preservation enormous. I am convinced that together we will succeed in this difficult and honourable undertaking“, Vucic said in a post on his official Instagram account after meeting with El Sisi as part of his official two-day visit to Egypt.

Vucic expressed belief that Serbia and Egypt will further strengthen the historical and traditionally excellent bilateral and economic relations and open new avenues of cooperation for the benefit of the people. The delegations of the two countries signed several bilateral agreements in Cairo on Saturday.

Vucic: Egypt's recognition of independence without any substance (Kosovo Online, RTS)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, during his official visit to Egypt, told RTS that he discussed Kosovo issue with the Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi. He mentioned that despite Egypt's recognition of Kosovo during Mohamed Morsi's presidency, there have been no subsequent activities, and this will continue in the future.

"We talked about Kosovo and Metohija. You know that during the rule of the Muslim Brotherhood and Mohamed Morsi, Egypt recognized Kosovo, but there have been no activities, no serious substance", Vucic said. Vucic added he is almost certain this position of Egypt will remain in the future and that Egypt can count on Serbia's support.

Vucic: Sachs's statement about NATO bombing of Serbia very valuable (Tanjug, media)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Friday a statement by US economist Jeffrey Sachs that the goal of the 1999 NATO bombing of Serbia had been to break up the country was a "very valuable and important" statement.

"In it, he said a very important thing - that, in addition to being a violation of the UN Charter, it was done to break up Serbia", Vucic said in a public address, responding to a question from a reporter. It was not about a humanitarian disaster but, essentially, about breaking up Serbia, land-grabbing and setting up a military base, Vucic added.

"The consequences are visible today. There will be more and more such truths and we will be insisting on them", he said.

Molotov cocktail thrown at pastry cafe Sar in Mitrovica North, Arsenijevic condemns it (KoSSev, social media)

In the early hours between 13 and 14 July, a Molotov cocktail was thrown at pasty café Sar at pedestrian zone in Mitrovica North, KoSSev portal reported. Unknown persons broke the glass at the entry door and threw the device inside. Apart from broken glass no further damages were made as the fire didn’t spread. Kosovo police opened an investigation, and deputy commander for the region North, Veton Elshani told the portal so far they do not have information about perpetrators.

Leader of the Serbian Democracy Aleksandar Arsenijevic condemned the attack. In a post and a video published on his X account, Arsenijevic said that they “in the strongest terms condemn this shameless attack on our neighbours, friends and brothers Gorani. They can’t choose who the guests at their pastry café would be, even them being unscrupulous ministers from the Kosovo government”.

In a separate video published on his X profile on Friday, Arsenijevic briefly spoke with Kosovo Interior Minister Xhelal Svecla, who was sitting in this pastry café, accompanied with Minister of Local Governance Administration, Elbert Krasniqi, deputy police commander for region North, Veton Elshani, current Albanian mayor of Mitrovica North Erden Atiq, and former mayor of Mitrovica South, Agim Bahtiri. Arsenijevic asked Svecla on this occasion “when will Kosovo police stop beating Serbs in the north of Kosovo”, to which Svecla replied that “police are not beating citizens”, and that he should address Kosovo Police Inspectorate with complaints. Arsenijevic claimed he was beaten up three times by Kosovo police already, same as his friend and others, but that PIK takes no action.

Svecla condemns attack on Sar pastry café (KoSSev)

KoSSev portal reported yesterday that from the perspective of Kosovo Interior Minister Xhelal Svecla the current Pristina authorities “have created normalcy of life in the north of Kosovo”, adding that “criminal groups of Serbia” do not like that. Svecla, within this context, commented on the attack with Molotov cocktail on Sar pastry café and, as KoSSev portal further wrote, once again marked the culprits for the act that the Kosovo police has just started to investigate.

He condemned the attack and requested responsible bodies to identify perpetrators and bring them to justice, the portal added. 

Krajiste: During liturgy, loud music from nearby house, Serbs found church walls defaced (Kosovo Online)

In the Church of Saints Cosmas and Damian in Krajiste near Lipljan, displaced Serbs who came for the liturgy on the occasion of the church's feast day found Albanian and KLA flags in the village and the church walls defaced with red paint, Kosovo Online portal reported.

As the portal further reported during the liturgy, loud Albanian music and songs mentioning one of the KLA leaders, Adam Jashari, were heard from a nearby house. This disturbance unsettled around a hundred Serbs from Krajiste and nearby areas who had come to celebrate the feast day in their home village, the portal added.

According to eyewitnesses who arrived early in the morning, the church walls had "UCK" written in red paint. They stated that they did not dare enter the churchyard without an escort.

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